Overcoming the Obstacles
by Aurag2
Summary: New Characters. New Worlds. New Problems. But the Same Old Wanda. A sequel to the Host. Ian/Wanda, Mel/Jared, Jamie/OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Happy Birthday

That's what the sign read as I entered the dining room area. It was a large banner we had gotten to make birthdays here just a little more cheery in the caves. Birthdays meant a lot here. They weren't just another year of life, but another years in our bodies.

It was a big deal to the humans to keep their bodies, but this was the exception to their silly birthday concept. Because it wasn't a human's birthday, it was a soul's. So I guess if I followed their idea it would mean just another year of stealing a body from an innocent human.

But I was a soul. And a soul who belonged in these caves. A soul who wanted, and sometimes even needed, a human body.

I'd spent the better part of my day pulling weeds in the fields. The usual weed pickers weren't there, just Brant and Maggie today.

Which felt extremely odd to me because Maggie was in the kitchen most of the time. She loved cooking. It's where she belongs. But than why would she be in the fields?

Or better yet, what was keeping her from the kitchen?

Well, as I entered the dining area for lunch under the big Happy Birthday sign it became pretty obvious.

I saw all my friends gathered around a table. The table had brightly colored presents. And a cake that kinda resembled a soul, but it's the thought that counts.

They had tried to make the cake look like a soul: like me. But truth is since 3 years ago when we put Sunny back in not many souls had been brought back. It was just too risky, since we rarely got the bodies back.

But at least it was an oval shape colored silver and about 15 thread like tentacles. Besides, it can't be easy to make cake here anyway.

"Happy Birthday Wanda," they all shouted. Of course it was my bodies birthday, but I still didn't mind. They all thought I was 20 though, thanks to my little white lie long ago. But I was only 19. I didn't think it really mattered, but if I confessed now Ian and the others might be mad at me. I just wanted Ian to love me. Is that too much for me to ask?

I gasped naturally, since I actually wasn't expecting anyone to make a big deal over my birthday. They did it for everyone, but I'd never thought about them doing it for me.

Ian came up to me and gave me a big hug. It was a mixture of holding me tight and picking me up. I cuddled my head into his loving arms and smiled up at him. "Happy birthday Wanda," he said as he kissed my head and I giggled a little.

I slowly pulled away from him and faced the crowd. "Thank you everyone," I said to everyone, "This really means a lot and I love it. Thanks," I said, little tears of happiness forming at the side of my eyes. It all looked so beautiful and that people had worked so hard just for me. I don't know why, but I just loved it.

We went first and just socialized, kind of at like a human party. We made friends with people we didn't know, although most of us knew each other and talked about our days. Despite the constant work, we all seemed to have pretty good social lives inside the caves. And we seemed to have developed cliques so people were rarely all together talking.

There was the "Action" clique, as Kyle called it. That involved Mel, Jared, Ian, and Kyle. They would go to the soccer field on days off or in their spare time to rewind. Or Ian would come with me. I didn't like soccer still because this body was always too weak for me.

Then there was the soul crowd: me and Sunny mainly. Also we accepted any humans who wanted to hang out with us since it was our natural nature like that.

There were the cave leaders: Jeb, Doc, and Jared. Although, only Jeb and Doc were usually together planning ways to improve the caves. I think their newest idea is expanding the caves for more places to store food and sleep, but we have to be careful because Doc thinks it's possible that there's more lava. They go and have hour long council meetings deciding what to do and I attend because I'm the head of the souls. I make decisions relating to that and make my opinion when needed. But I don't really like attending the meetings anyway. I'm not fond of the power I have during those things.

There are the gossipers. They're leader is mainly Sharon so I'm not welcome there most of the time. She still doesn't like me despite all I've done to try to change that. I'm starting to think there's something more to her hate towards me. At first I thought it was because I'm a soul but she seems to love Sunny. I just can't remember anything negative I've done towards her.

Anyway, we were chatting at my party. Melanie came and hugged me and told me happy birthday. So did Jamie. I hugged Jamie back and he laughed as I ruffled his hair up. Jeb came and wished me a happy birthday too. He told me he had some big plans for me, but didn't say what. I thought about it for a few seconds but then got distracted with other things. Things like other people screaming "CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!" Which I knew Jamie must had started, he's always the first to line up for birthday cake.

We all had no choice but to start the cake after he had made a big deal about all of it. I cut it open and discovered it was vanilla on the inside. We all ate happily, although I made sure that Jamie got the first piece. Some boys are just so obsessed with cake. I think he'd rather have a slice of cake than a girlfriend at times. But that theory has not been tested yet. We haven't gotten a girl his age in the caves yet for him to even think about girls. But he his seventeen so I'm sure he does. Note to Self: Ask Mel if Jamie thinks about girls yet.

Then I opened presents. Mel and Jamie had made me a necklace out of beads. Sunny and Kyle(Although I think it was more Sunny's gift to me) had bought me a dress from when they were on their last raid. I remembered telling Ian I loved it once. But neither of us had been on the raid when they bought it, so I guess they had worked really hard.

The biggest surprise was that Ian didn't give me a gift. Not that he had to, but he loved me. The least he could have done was a card or a hug or something to show his love. I liked poetry; he could had written a poem to me. That brought a frown on my face that no one could cheer up, not even Ian.

It got about 4PM and Jeb had sent everyone to work again. My birthday was no excuse to stop the work. We both had agreed on that. I wanted to go and work but Mel wouldn't let me. She had dragged me into her room before I had a chance to question her.

She quickly undressed me and put my new dress on. She brushed my hair. I was quiet because I wasn't sure why she was, but I let her. She put my hair up in a ponytail tired by a single thick red ribbon and it looked nice. She put mascara and red lip stick on but I didn't know why. I asked her why I needed all of it and she said "You'll need the lipstick tonight, just trust me". I had almost asked why I needed my lips, but then I remembered how Ian loved to kiss me and more when we were alone. Not anything too far, but make out and cuddle. He couldn't help it. He's just a kisser. And so am I.

She started walking me down the halls and I had no idea what would happen next.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She pushed me into a room. I'd seen this room before, but it was never as nice as I saw it now.

It was lit like there was a million fireflies, but there was no bugs. It was candles, yet there was no smoke in the room.

There was a plain table, but it was covered by a black tablecloth that went down and stopped at about an inch above the floor. It had rose petals spread across the tablecloth. My eyes were watery from the beauty of the red petals against the black surface.

I took a breath, without noticing I had held it back, and took a step towards the table. I was so amazed by the simplicity of everything. But as simple as it could be, I still loved the thought that someone put into it every little bit.

Once I was closer to it, I noticed a note. I picked it up, holding it carefully in my small hand. It was small, but probably because it had been folded in half. It had a writing on it, but I couldn't recognize it because I'd never seen anyone's writing in the caves before.

Dear Wanda,

I will be there in a few minutes. Till then: enjoy the view, have some wine, and think about your special day so far.

There was no signature on the note and I got the feeling I was supposed to who who it was, but I think I was too blown away to think.

Jamie Walked in, dressed in a white dress shirt with buttons down the front and black dress pants. He came to the side of the table and set down two wine glasses, well he held a bottle of wine held under his arm.

"Will I be dining with you tonight Jamie?" I asked as I sat down in a chair, the note still in my hand.

He chuckled as if it were a joke. "No miss, I will be your waiter for the evening."

I smiled at him and tried not to laugh. But he was just so cute that it was pretty hard. I don't know why but I felt an odd urge to pinch his cheeks.

"Would you like some wine miss?' he asked as he took the cork off the bottle. I nodded and he poured half a glass half full, bowed to me, and left. I waved goodbye, although he probably didn't see it.

I sipped a little bit of wine as I waited. It calmed my nerves, like the little bit of wine I used to have before bed every night. I had missed the taste and wondered how they had gotten red wine that was this good in the caves. Besides, only Mel knows I used to drink red wine before bed. I'd have to thank her later.

Ian entered in a black tuxedo and his hair clicked back. I'd seen him do it only a few times before on special occasions in the caves. He took a seat from across the table and smiled at me.

"Well sir," I said in a fancy tone, "Will you be the one dining with me today?" He smiled as he lifted my hand off the table and kissed it. "Yes I will Wanda. I wanted to make your birthday special. How does it look?"

I took my hand back slowly as I blushed and looked around the room. My mouth was probably hanging open again and my eyes wide in amazement. "I love it Ian. I can't believe how beautiful it was when I got in. And it's still so...Wow!" He laughed as he took a look around the room too, probably finally taking it in for himself now that there's less stress. But still, now that he was having dinner and now working, he still seemed very stressed. I wondered if it had been something I did to stress him out, but I'm sure it wasn't. I still wish I knew what was wrong though.

Jamie came back out as soon as Ian was putting his lips on mine. We didn't notice as out lips played together and our tongues moved together. Jamie coughed and I looked up innocently, blush spreading quickly across my cheeks. I heard Ian mutter something under the way of "Darn Kid," and all I could do was laugh to myself.

He placed two plates onto the table that had obviously been cooked earlier special for me. They both consisted of garlic bread, pasta, and some salad. I took a bite of a piece of pasta and waved my fork in the air as I tasted it.

"This food had been made by our chef. Chef O'Shea isn't very well known but he wanted to make sure this dinner was special for you," he said. He took a napkin and came around me. He brought his hands around me and tucked the napkin into my lap like at a really fancy restaurant. I laughed as he came around and was about to do the same to Ian when Ian took the napkin and said a quick "Cute Jamie," as he did it himself.

We ate quietly. I didn't really have much to say to him. I'd thank him tonight for sure. I felt a twinge of guilt for doubting that he'd give me anything for my birthday. But this was just amazing. I never thought there was anything like this.

Ian still didn't seem like he wanted to start a conversation either. I don't know what it is but something was stressing him out. I could tell by his face and by the way he ate slowly and seemed to be looking at the ceiling. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact from me, but I knew he was just nervous. I knew his nervous face and recognized it easily for at least a year now. Something was wrong. It wasn't ruining my day, but I was just worrying about him too now.

The dinner ended quickly, but he didn't seem to want to leave. Jamie kept refilling our wines as if trying to delay something, but I couldn't be sure what they were both trying to put off. And the first time he came he had dropped into Ian's lap. It had been black and hid into his black dress pants. I knew he was trying to hide it from me, but I knew he'd show me when he wanted to since I probably wasn't supposed to have seen it in the first place.

I was playing with a rose petal in between my fingers to fill time as he looked around more. The rose petals were getting old and crinkling up into hard little things, but I was arranging them out of pure boredom. I made a smiley face for a while and then a heart as I wondered if Ian was still wondering around the walls or if he had looked at me yet.

He coughed a little bit to get my attention and I smiled. "What's up Ian?" I asked as he reached his hand across the table, palm facing up. I placed mine into his like it was nothing and felt a jolt of electricity run through me like whenever I touched him.

He lead his other index finger up my arm slowly. He kept going up my neck and cupped my face into his hand. I blushed a little bit. "Do you have something on your mind Ian?" I asked as I put my hands onto his arm and rubbed up and down it a little feeling his muscles.

"Yeah actually, I want to ask you something Wanda," he said as he removed his hands from me, getting edgy in his seat, as if he was about to stand up. "You know I love you with all my heart and all my being. And you know I want to be with you forever and ever, as long as I live. Right Wanda?"

I nodded hesitantly. "Of course Ian; I want to be with you forever too," I replied.

But I did not see what was coming.

He pushed his chair back and got away from the table, coming closer to me. He took a deep breath, got on his knee, and opened up a little black box in front of me. It had the most beautiful heart shaped ring in the middle of it, gold around the diamond.

"Wanderer, will you marry me so I can have you mine for the rest of my life?" I gasped, not expecting this in the smallest bit. I don't know why I didn't expect this at all. It has been three years overall.

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up, kissing him right on the lips. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back. I could still feel the ring box in his hand. We kissed for about 30 seconds and then I pulled myself away, leaning my head into his neck crook. "That means yes," I said and he laughed at it.

We went back to our room as Jamie was left to clean up, but I saw Melanie on the way back and asked her quickly to help him. Jamie had already worked so hard. I think he deserved a break.

We got into our bedroom and quickly shut the door. I took off the dress, just in my underwear and bra. He took off his tie. Good thing he did because I think it was making it harder for him to breathe while we kissed each other. I took off his jacket and shirt wondering where he got a tuxedo. He took off his pants and quickly put on a pair of his shorts. We laid in bed and cuddled for most of the night.

At least, until I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Going to Toronto for the weekend to visit my stepmom who's recovering from a heart transplant. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Maybe be a while for the next. But at least this is the first chapter in "The Other Person's" POV. Its a little complicated but if you're smart you should get it, which im sure you all are. If you have any questions ask them in review form and ill reply and answer. Unless it gives too much away.**

Chapter 3

Flowing Fur's POV

I woke up quickly early in the morning to the barking of wolves. It wasn't such a big deal to me since I got this same awakening every morning. It wasn't just the bark, whine, and howl of wolves though; it was the bark, whine, and howl of my pack brothers and sisters.

I was different in that way. But in my mind, it wasn't in a bad way; I was just special. I was unique from the other souls. That's why I was forced to live in the middle of the desert in a cave with a bunch of wolves.

Something nudged my side: a wolf muzzle. It was pretty much my second alarm, but I just really didn't want to get up. He nudged me again and whined, so I gave up my quest for ten extra minutes of sleep.

I slowly got up onto my four sandy shaded wolf paws. I stretched my body out and heard my joints crack. I shook out my fur, little rocks and sand flying everywhere.

The alpha wolf jumped into the cave to check on us and everyone stood still, obeying his law. We waited to see what order he would give us. He didn't snap an order though.

"How's my girl?" he asked as he jumped down from his rocky ledge in a much happier manner than we expected. It was all in dog communication: a series of tones, patterns, and body language we all recognized. I'd learned it quickly once I was put into my newest host body: a wolf.

"A little tired, but otherwise good," I replied. The rest of the wolves went back to their lives now that they knew he was just visiting me.

He walked around me, checking me over quickly. "And my puppies?" he asked.

"Fine," I said flatly. I didn't like the idea I had to carry his puppies just because he's alpha and he chose me. I could have dated any member of the pack, but that pretty much closed my options. But of course, I loved my babies in my belly all the same. I'd been a beast, a bear, a human, and now a wolf. Yet, this was the first creature I'd had a partner or even reproduced. I'd hope to find a partner I love on Earth, but I hadn't, so I just gave up.

But at least Samuel had chosen me to be his partner. I could have disobeyed the alpha this one time and said no. It would have been allowed for me to say no, but I guess I must had been desperate at the time. Now I was stuck with him and with his babies. It might had been my instinct to mate that influenced my decision as a soul. My decisions and control over the brain seemed to be changed by instincts on quite a few different occasions. It brought violence into my innocent soul mind. It made me want to mate constantly and have sex with other wolves besides my Samuel. It made my life a living Hell at times.

I looked around the cave to check on the other wolves as Samuel went outside to take care of some other business. In other words, he left to empty his bladder. Mother wolves were grooming their baby wolves. Adult male wolves were saying goodbye to their partners before they left to hunt.

Today was a small run for prairie dogs or jackrabbits. We'd eat what we could catch and kill today. Then tomorrow we'd go farther with more wolves and catch bigger prey: another wolf, a coyote, or maybe even a human.

I'd only eaten human meat once before because the poor girl had gotten lost while camping. I didn't mind it that much, I was just doing what I had to do to survive, but when one of the other wolves bit into the neck and silver blood poured out I freaked, threw up my portion of the meat, cries a lot, been scared of them for quite a while and of others, and slept that night and the next day away. But in the end my instinct to be part of the pack turned out to be more dominant then my believes and myself as a soul.

Samuel ran back into the cave and barked a loud "Lets go." All the male wolves lets, the pitter patter of their paws against the rocky cave floor. A large dust cloud formed from their running and the puppies cried for their daddies, but soon enough it was quiet again as the orange light of the sunrise shined through the cave entrance. I laid down and rested my head on my paws, deciding to take a nap to rest myself and to rest my puppies for the rest of the day.

I woke up that night feeling odd. My stomach felt big, like something was going to happen, but it didn't yet. I ate some of the meat once Samuel arrived home with the others. Luckily, no one got hurt and all the families were happy and reunited.

Then I went back to sleep for the night. I've been so tired and I didn't know why. Or what could make me that tired.

The next day I woke up right before the males were leaving. Samuel must had let me sleep in. That's so sweet. Unless he didn't want me to come to the hunt with the others. I wouldn't know why though. I've proved I'm as strong and smart as half of those skinny, wimpy male wolves. I'm a very strong and important pack member.

"Wait for me," I shouted as I caught up with them, taking my beta position next to Samuel. Some of the wolves grunted and groaned as I joined up with them.

"Fur," he called me usually instead of my full soul name "Flowing Fur" since he didn't really get the concept of souls despite the number of times I'd told and explained it. "I think you should stay behind," he said. I moved in front of him and stopped him from walking. "Why? I want to come help," I stated.

"My sixth sense is acting up. I don't want you to get hurt," he said to me in a very protective tone.

"Well, guess what. I'm coming with you and its final."

"Fine," he huffed as he started walking again, knowing he had lost this battle. One wolf muttered something about him turning soft because of me and he yelled at him to shut up. I just stayed quiet.

But he was right all along. Well, his sixth sense had been right all along. And if I would had known what would had happened at this very moment, I wouldn't had went along. I would had stayed home to protect me, my pack, and my puppies.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all the love everyone. You are all great and I m so happy to have fans like you. My fan of the Day is xCrazyKindOvWeirdx. So, if you see this. THANKS TONS. A tip, I love it when fans try to guess what will happen next. Like she did. I will pick a new fan next chapter. So, send your thoughts, predictions, and ideas in since I have a few, including a death of someone, and more stuff, but I m always accepting. Also, thanks to my beta. Who s username escapes me. (Sorry). She is wonderful. And I will have her name next chapter.

Chapter 4 Wanda s POV

It was the worst dream I d had to date. I d seen tons. I d seen nightmares of violent humans killing each other with weapons of mass destruction: guns, knifes, their own hands. I d seen my family captured by seekers. They would take me and kill me. Souls wouldn t kill their own kind; I knew that. But I was a traitor, and in my mind I was no better then the humans killing souls because I gave away the secret. It was the right thing to do when I was awake, but while I was asleep, it was so out, I couldn t tell what was happening. I was losing my mind.  
I saw Melanie, while I was still in her. I could tell by the silver twinkle in her eyes. She was scared, almost in tears. It appeared that she was in control, because souls rarely cried. I cried at times if I was fearful, but that was pretty much it. Unless, they were happy tears, because those were much better.  
Melanie screamed. "WANDA!!" she cried. "WANDA!!!" she cried and screamed. I flinched in my dream; it was that moment I noticed I wasn't in Melanie's body. I was in Pet's body, separate from my sister. I ran toward her, tears streaming down my face now. I didn't fear for my own life, but Melanie's. She had a new soul in her and it was stronger than I ever was, pressing her away into the mind prison she had finally been free from.  
I took another step foreword and Melanie froze. A calmer, smugger face took over. "Well hello Wanderer," it said like she had known me, but I couldn't tell. "I bet you missed me," she said smirking. I took another step and she raised her hand. "I'd stay there if I were you. I am here to complete my mission. You weren't strong enough, but I can do it," she said to me. "And I just won. I've conquered all her memories and her. I win Wanderer."  
I still wasn't sure who this was; all I knew was that she'd killed my sister Melanie.  
"Won what?" I half shrieked and half cried at her. "How is this a contest?" I asked as tear after tear went down my shirt, onto the floor. 'Melanie is gone' I thought, although it was very hard to grasp that concept. She'd fought with me forever.  
"WANDA!" she shouted, Melanie's tone back. "I'm here. She's lying. Help me," she said before the face returned: the happy and smug face.  
I ran to her and tackled her, my nails digging into her skin. Neither of us had weapons, so my hands were best. I don't know if I could bring myself to be this violent in real life, but this was because I loved Melanie. So, it was very possible.  
She laughed almost evilly. It was weird coming from a soul. I brought my hand to the back of her neck and scraped my sharp nails across it. She screeched almost and threw me about a foot away. I was so tiny still; I wasn't good for fighting.  
"I wouldn't touch me if I were you," she said, warning me. I wasn't sure what she could do, but just then Jared appeared through the bush behind her. He took a knife and jammed it to the outside of her throat, threatening her. "Leave. Mel. Alone." he said exhausted from running. She laughed and said, "I warned you."  
Just then Mel's eyes rolled into the back of her head, her body went limp into Jared's arms, and blood poured out her nose. Jared had just lost Melanie. But I didn't care. I was selfish. All I could think was that I lost Melanie.

I woke up right after that, tears in my eyes and all over my pillow. I reached my hand out for Ian's comfort, but he wasn't there. I wondered why. It wasn't that late and he was always with me anyway. Had he went to go prepare for our raid today? I hoped not. I needed him. But I was also being too selfish for my own good again. I knew this would come back to bite me in the butt.  
I thought about my dream. I thought about Mel and how I d lost her. I knew she was alive still, sleeping with Jared, but my body and mind was so scared and fearful that it refused to accept that. As far as I knew, she was dead. I could just get up to go find her, but right now I was shaking. It was too hard to stand or even move myself while I was crying.  
Shaking turned into tears, and that quickly changed into sobs racing through my body. I held my hands to my eyes, trying to stop the tears, but I was failing. They kept coming. I made odd noises as I sobbed, struggling to breathe. Ian returned about at this time. I knew because I kept my face in the same position staring at the door as I cried. He wore a smile, which made me a little annoyed since I was balling my eyes out.  
His smile faded though as soon as he saw me crying in fetal position. He hurried to me and took me into his lap. I grabbed his shirt in my small child like hands. My face went into his chest. My tears were being soaked into his shirt, but he didn t care. He kept his arms wrapped around me and just gave me the reassurance I desperately needed.  
He rubbed his hand in little circles around my back until my breathing slowed and my tears slowly stopped.  
Now, he said to me, sitting me back up into an upright position so that he could see into my eyes, What happened? He said it worryingly, like if someone had attacked me or scared me. But this was my fault I was crying and not anybody else s.  
I just had another nightmare, I answered him, looking down at the floor. I was ashamed I couldn t control my brain. I was ashamed I couldn t control my body. I remembered how Melanie controlled my dreams. So I wondered whether this was the body s doing or my own by mistake. Pet never seemed to suffer from nightmares before. And when she rarely did, they weren t this bad. They didn t attack her family and all she cared about.  
What was it about Wanda? Tell me. I want to help, he said as he took my hand into his. I half smiled and nodded. I killed Mel, I said in a sad and depressed tone. His eyes widened. Wow, that sounds like the worst yet I nodded to him. It really was the worst.  
The hardest part, I told him, Was that it was so real. I wouldn t be shocked if she was dead right now. Her brain shredded by a soul we didn t get out in time, for once he flinched at the image himself.  
He searched the room for an answer. He needed something to say by the look of his face, but he came up with nothing. Let s go see Mel then. I looked up to face him. Really? Right now? I was exited and I think that s what I really needed. Hopefully, I wouldn t burst out in tears the second I saw her.  
He nodded and helped me up. We walked down the hall, still in my pajamas and Ian with tears still on his shirt. We were about to knock when I heard Melanie crying and Jared s deep voice. I m sorry Melanie, he apologized, I didn t mean to hurt you. I do love you. Please stop crying, he said in a quiet voice. Whenever Jared said one little thing wrong these days, Mel would brake down crying or practically rip his head off.  
I do want to marry you. I really do. But .I don t know. Then I heard something smash and hit the wall. It was most likely the cactus Mel kept beside her bed. And now she was practically ripping his head off again.  
I tried not to laugh, because this was a serious topic they were talking about. But the idea of Jared going to Doc s to get cactus needles removed from his arm seemed pretty entertaining.  
Ian asked Wanda to marry her and I ve known you way long, she said, done crying. She was still a little emotional still. AND I M CARRYING YOUR BABY FOR CHRISTS SAKE!! she yelled at him. I gasped at the news, not sure what Ian was feeling or doing.

A/N Thanks tons, REVIEW!!! 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Wanda's POV

"Ian, I'm so confused," I said resting against the wall. It was in a hushed whisper so that Mel and Jared couldn't hear. "Well," he said joining me. "When a man loves a woman they participate in something called sexual intercourse." I could not believe he was trying this. Or maybe it was the fact that he thought I knew nothing about the subject. My face went bright red as I put it into my hands to hide it from him.  
"Ian, I know what that is. I didn't mean I was confused about THAT," I practically hissed at him. He chuckled a little. I wasn't sure if it was a joke or he was serious now. How could my sister be pregnant? She was smarter to have unprotected sex in a world like this. She didn't want to bring a baby into this world. And now, she was going to be stuck with one.  
Ian looked at me and shook his head. "Don't judge them Wanda; I'm sure there's a personally reasonable explanation."  
"There is no explanation Ian. THEY'RE HAVING A BABY!!!" I said in a very mad tone. I hadn't noticed, but I was enraged about this. I had thought about wanting a baby, but I'd gotten a lecture on how unsafe and bad this would be for the caves. Of course, it was a year ago, but the point still stood. Mel was having the baby though, when she had told me not to. And she didn't even tell me; that's probably what made me the maddest. That I was so close to her and she had even kept this a secret. We never kept secrets. After sharing a body for that long of time, there weren't really many secrets left that could be kept from each other: past, present, or future.  
The other room went quiet. Jared or Mel didn't mutter a single sound after my outburst. I gulped, hoping Mel wasn't mad over this. Or Jared. Humans could get really angry at times very easily and it made me nervous. I heard a little bit of shuffling around and soon enough footsteps coming towards us. The red door almost knocked me back, but I landed in Ian's welcoming arms instead.  
"You...you heard that?" she stuttered. I didn't respond. I just got up onto my feet and marched back to my room. I smashed my curtain for effect but it made almost no sound. It would have worked better, had it been an actual door like Melanie had.  
It was very hard to be mad at Melanie. There was a special bond between us. It pulled us back together even during our worst fights. It kept our love for each other strong and loyal, even when times were tough. But right now, times were impossible. I couldn t believe she had done this. I wouldn t be so mad as long as she had told me, but she kept it from me. And it felt like she had broken the bond between us when she did that.  
She knocked on the rock besides the curtain. Wanda? she said lightly. I wanted her to go away, but I couldn t find my voice to say it. Or maybe, I just didn t want to seem rude. I still couldn t hurt her, despite what she had done.  
Wanda? Why were you outside my room? she asked in a normal tone. She was probably mad, but she didn t show it by her voice. Maybe she just didn t want to make things worse.  
I tried again to answer her, but my voice was still gone, stuck in a lump in my throat. A Frog in the Throat, as Pet would have called it. She had a nightmare where she killed you and wanted to see if it was true, Ian answered for me from outside in the hallway. "Wow," was all Mel could say to that.  
She knocked again on the rocky surface. "Wanda, can I please come in?" she said, her voice guilt ridden. But I was even worse. I felt bad for overreacting. I felt bad for yelling at Ian. I was just a horrible soul now.  
"Wanda?" Ian asked this time, sounding very worried about his girl. "Come in," I said to the wall I was still facing. The door opened and I heard the shuffling of many feet. Melanie, Jared, and Ian were all probably trying to come in. "Just Melanie."  
The shuffling stopped abruptly. "But Wanda," Ian protested, not wanting to leave me alone. "Go get a bite to eat Ian. We'll meet you there. He sighed and left the room, leaving a quiet aura behind as me and Mel didn't know what to say.  
The bed quickly leaned to the other side as Mel sat on it and I had to grab the sheets to keep my small body from rolling down. I turned over to face her, finally stretching out my body a little. "So, would you like to go baby shopping with me?" she asked, putting a goofy smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back at her. She was my sister, and maybe, just maybe, it was an accident.  
"Did you mean for this to happen Mel?" I asked. I had been so ready to have a baby with Ian; it was my calling after all. I hadn't told Ian, but I thought about it constantly. And Mel had said no just like that. "This isn't the world we should bring a child into," she would always tell me when I brought it up. In my mind, it translated into "You shouldn't bring it into a world you ruined Wanda." And that always shut me up: the fact that it was my own fault I couldn't have a child.  
"No Wanda, I didn't," she said looking down ashamed. "Jared and I were being careless. I said no when he asked about putting on protection and I let him go ahead. It's my fault." I didn't know what to say so I stayed quiet.  
"But this baby will be loved still, right?" I asked. I knew I would love the baby no matter what, but I was a soul. And Mel hadn't even wanted the baby in the first place.  
She nodded quickly. "Of course. Jared and I are going to get baby supplies as soon as we can. But there was a raid tomorrow already that I wasn't invited to. Can you believe that? He won't tell anyone what its for."  
I laughed to myself. "You can come with Ian and I."  
"It's your raid. For what? Did something happen?"  
I nodded, blushing to myself. Thinking of a few nights ago with Ian in the tuxedo, Jamie too. And the cooked meal he did so good with. I thought of him on his knees holding the ring out to me.  
"Wedding supplies," I said raising my hand in front of her and showing Mel the engagement ring. She was the first one I showed and it felt so good to show it off.  
She squealed a little and hugged me. "So, tomorrow we go for one day for wedding and baby supplies? Ian, you, and me?"  
"And Jared," I added. We'd let him know about the wedding too.  
She nodded giggling, probably wondering how she could have forgotten Jared. "And Jared," she added to herself. 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry, its been a while. I wrote the chapter but it accidently erased. So, here it is.**

Wanda's POV

"And look at these little baby booties," said Melanie.

"Oh my gosh, they're so adorable." They were yellow with a little Winnie the Pooh face stitched into the front and little ears sticking out.

We currently stood in the middle of the baby store in the long strip mall. It had a few baby stores and few other stores we had stopped at to get clothes and other supplies.

Melanie had her soul painted contacts in and with the right amount of glitter, they even sparkled in the sun perfectly. The souls had made them for the little human kids to be souls on Halloween. They were peaceful costumes, never monsters.

Of course, there was one big flaw there. Humans could use them for themselves. They had gone of the shelf within a month because of all the seekers saying it made their job harder. Luckily, I had grabbed a bunch of pairs before they stopped selling.

So, Melanie stood here with me blending in in every possible way.

We added the baby booties to the basket. It was almost overflowing with soothers, clothes, and things. So, we decided to check out.

"Oh, is one of you expecting a baby?" the cashier asked curiously.

"Why, do I look fat?" Melanie asked shocked looking down at her stomach. It was a classic human reaction, although any soul could be worried about that too.

"No, no," she took back feeling guilty. "I didn't mean it that way. I can assure you that you look great. I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Oh. I'm sorry for over reacting," Melanie said, catching her mistake.

"So, where's daddy?" she asked.

I responded this time. "We decided to have a girls day out, but both of our husbands are playing in the tool store."

She cashier laughed a little bit. "Sounds just like my boyfriend. Well, thank you for shopping here."

"You're welcome. You sell the cutest merchandise I've ever seen."

We walked out and headed to the washrooms. Although we didn't use it, we both fixed our hair. We also organized our purchases so that it was easier to carry than a bunch of bags.

We decided we had enough things for now. We had almost already filled the jeep as it is.

We met up with Jared and Ian in the tool store. Ian was playing around with a laser cutter, an invention of the souls. "I'm telling you Jared, this is just like a light saber." Jared rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying it doesn't look like one. I'm saying I was never into the geek movies like that."

I walked up to them and hit Jared on the arm playfully. "Jared, you're acting like a human. Be more careful." Ian laughed and stood next to me.

We all left the store and got into the car.

It was a long drive back to our hotel. We stayed in it as the day passed by. We couldn't go into the desert at night, so this had to be done.

When the night came we got back on the road. The jeep drove smoothly over the rough desert terrain.

We finally got to the cave where we hid the car. It was about an hour away walk from the cave. Ian and Jared grabbed most of the bags, leaving only a few for us.

About a half hour through the walk, I swear I started to see shadows moving in the distance.

"Ian, I see something," I said pointing it out.

"It's just a mirage Wanda. Stop worrying. We'll get you some water when we get home."

A wolf howled in the distance. And it all went downhill from there.

**A/N When I get comments it motivates me, so comment. Sorry its short but the next will be long with much more emotion. When the 2 main characters meet.**


	7. NEW CHAPTER!

**Hi everyone! I've been getting a lot of reviews for this story lately! So, I've decided to rewrite the story.**

**It has been 3 or 4 years since I started writing this, so my writing style has changed, but it has definitely changed for the better.**

**It will still include the same plot and character twists. Just better writing.**

**I hope you all subscribe to me to see all my story updates (only which 2 are active) or just subscribe to the story. Link is here: **** s/8872967/1/Overcoming-the-obstacles-Version-2**

**Also, the link to my website is posted on my profile. If you check out the story section, you can see the progress of the next chapter.**


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